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By : Gannopy Urena
4 min read
Like every other working person this year, I’ve been slowly crushed under the pressure of skyrocketing inflation and stagnant wages- in other words: I’m broke. Luckily, I live in Boston, and I’ve still been having a blast this summer by going to a lot of local music shows. They’re usually less than 15 bucks and often have the added benefit of being near cheap booze. That’s how I ended up seeing Paper Lady three times in one week. I saw them at the We For Us benefit concert hosted on the Berklee campus (Alli Raina, the lead singer, performed solo), at the Tourist Trap, and at O’Briens. Raina’s vocals are absolutely gorgeous. She definitely is a siren (as she describes herself in her instagram bio) who can make even high pitched screaming sound pretty. Every performance I saw was spectacular. My favorite performance was definitely at the Tourist Trap. For their last song, Raina ended up kneeling on the ground, screaming into her mic, while Charlie, the drummer, knocked over the drum set. They were clearly having a blast and it was fun to observe.
The band came out with a music video for their single “Eve”, which Raina recently announced passed 10,000 streams. I personally don’t find my focus going towards the lyrics in this song, except for the mention of a poison apple, which is featured prominently in the music video. The song is dreamy, and calm, but there’s a haunting element to it which is brought home by the layering of the vocals that makes the song sound like it’s being sung by a small choir. The nature visuals in the music video match the ambience of the song perfectly. I love the shots of Raina walking around in the forest (which I suspect might be the Urban Wild in Ringer Park), and the scene where a group of friends are having a picnic and all pass out due to the aforementioned poison apple.
Paper Lady came out with a new single called “Winter Comes” on July 29. I’ve heard it performed live a few times and I’m bullying everyone to stream it. The band is also going on their first tour this month. They’re performing here in Boston at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville on August 3, and at the Brighton Music Hall on August 13. They’re also traveling to New York City, Providence, Philadelphia, and Winooski, Vermont. If you have a chance to see Paper Lady this month, I would absolutely recommend you attend.
Originally published in-print in Boston Compass Newspaper #149 August 2022
Check out all the art and columns of August's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass